The present invention pertains generally to handbags and the like and more particularly, to an improved carrying bag enabling facilitated viewing and retrieval of stored contents.
Handbags and the like, which include central openings at the uppermost portion of the bag, are commonly used to carry a plethora of personal articles including cosmetics, keys, paper and coin money, bankbooks, etc. These items are often placed loosely in carrying bags among a variety of other articles and thereby, difficult to locate through the opening of the bag, especially when the user is hurriedly reaching for a particular item therein.
A variety of carrying bags have been devised to promote retrieval of stowed items. Certain of such handbags contain compartments, or pockets, designed to hold numerous individual items. Handbags of this type range from those having a few to a multitude of storage compartments for organized placement of a user""s personal affects. While such compartments facilitate organization of items carried within a handbag, an organizational system only facilitates retrieval of items when personal items are actually placed within the provided compartments and when a user remembers where such items are stored. It is well known, however, that since handbags, or other such carrying bags are carried by women at virtually all times, the temptation to indiscriminately toss items in a handbag or the like is often hard to resist. Consequently, compartmentalized carrying bags are not often used in the intended manner, so personal affects remain difficult to see and retrieve, buried within the main storage receptacle.
Accordingly, the primary object of the present invention is to provide a dual function handbag or the like which, while being conventional in appearance and being usable in a conventional manner, also incorporates unique features to facilitate direct viewing and retrieval of items contained within a handbag or the like, permitting effortless access to contained items even in the absence of compartmentalized organization.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a handbag or the like that can be manufactured in a variety of configurations and designs with conventional appearance and function, while still incorporating special features to allow items to be readily viewed and retrieved therefrom.
Another object of the present invention is to enable users to move more quickly through security checkpoints by providing a handbag or the like of improved design, which permits rapid and trouble-free viewing by security personnel.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a safe storage area for users, wherein items can be viewed prior to and during retrieval, thereby reducing the potential for a user""s hand to be punctured by sharp objects such as nail files, scissors and writing implements.
The foregoing objects are met by the present invention which is directed to a handbag or the like having a transparent interior panel which can be selectively exposed to permit facilitated viewing of items contained therein.
Broadly described, the invention includes a bag structure comprised of a first panel connected to a second panel along the bottom and sides and forming a receptacle having a convenient access opening at the top. In accordance with the invention, one of the panels is formed of a flexible transparent material, through which visual access is realized.
In a preferred form, the handbag or the like includes a cover panel dimensioned to extend over the transparent panel, allowing the user to conceal personal affects contained within the bag structure. The cover panel is removably positioned in covering relation to the transparent panel, and at least partially separably attached to the bag structure, so that the cover panel may be easily displaced to view the contents of the bag. Fastening means are employed to releasably secure the cover panel in a xe2x80x9cclosedxe2x80x9d position, to conceal the interior of the bag yet permit displacement thereof for viewing the contents of the bag through the transparent panel when desired.
In accordance with the present invention, the cover panel is movable relative to the bag structure between a first position, in which the cover panel is positioned in covering relation to the transparent first panel, and a second position, in which the cover panel is displaced from covering relation to enable facilitated viewing of the bag contents through the transparent panel. Accordingly, the invention allows a user to conveniently displace the cover of the bag to find a desired item amongst a plethora of items loosely contained therein.
According to a further aspect of this invention, the handbag or the like may be manufactured in a variety of styles and designs, including a rounded or straightedged conventional purse structure, a knapsack, backpack, briefcase, etc., which is comprised of one or more flexible transparent walls forming the main receptacle of the bag, and removable cover panel or panels associated therewith which, when closed, give the bag a conventional appearance and function. When opened the cover panel(s) provide direct visual access to the entire contents of the bag and also easier physical access to such contents. In addition to providing features which are more convenient and useful to the user, the bag is useful in environments of increased security such as sports arenas, airports, museums and the like wherein bags are customarily searched. The transparent wall panel allows security personnel to quickly visually inspect the entire contents of a user""s handbag without inserting their hands therein.